Dipper_Dave:
I feel carryfast’s pain, I’ve put a right shift in on this and never got a mention in dispatches.
I feel your pain. Your entry was a ■■■ novella. You had silent dignity and sportsmanship, not a bad loser knot ■■■■ 
Armagedon:
You could have the lorry driver sympathetic to this lads cause and he could hide him in the cab under the lorry drivers bedding on his in cab bunk with
the lorry driver planning to kill and eat this lad further down the road but the lad escapes while the lorry driver is digging out his knife and fork,stove
and pot to cook him in.
Okay, first of all – James the cat, switchlogic, Cavey, Carryfast, darren118, Dipper_Dave, albion, Armagedon, Freight Dog, Gembo, chrisdalott, ezydriver, tonyj105, Wiretwister, ezydriver, Optimum, cav551, Malky80, Bluey Circles, truckman020, dieseldog999, Reef, Contraflow (I think that’s everyone; let me know if I’ve missed you): Thank you all very much for all your replies, they are all very much appreciated!
Secondly, if I could establish, are you telling me that it is totally unimaginable that a roped and sheeted trailer could be used for international work? That is to say, although technology in my book is set at the early 80s level, it is an alternative universe, so it doesn’t have to follow real life exactly – but would it be totally impractical to use a roped and sheeted trailer for international work?
Didn’t we have someone bringing a cement mixer back on a flatbed trailer last year, and 6 migrants were hiding on the barrel.
So just to throw a spanner in the works 
not every load is covered over with rope and sheet…
Evil8Beezle:
not every load is covered over with rope and sheet…
It was just that I’d so fallen in love with the rope and sheet idea, so much so that I wanted to buy a little corgi model as a reminder of my time here… 
I could be speaking out of turn as I’m not as old as some of the buggers on here posting from their care home but it would not be that unusual I would think to have a rope and sheeted load in the 80’s travelling international.
One things for sure the old hands took a great deal of pride in their sheeting, so skilled where they that the sheets look like they had been ironed on.
I still think the sweet spot of going in via the back flaps is your best bet (that’s what she said) and not that much poetic licence is needed.
Anyway best of luck and let us know when the books finished.
I can’t speak for this sites admin team but as I’m always one dodgy knob gag from premod mentioning trucknet in the credits would go down well.
Just to throw something else into the mix, you could always go for a pallet box/locker, you can have them on a reefer a curtainsider or even a flatbed if you like
Dipper_Dave:
I could be speaking out of turn as I’m not as old as some of the buggers on here posting from their care home but it would not be that unusual I would think to have a rope and sheeted load in the 80’s travelling international.One things for sure the old hands took a great deal of pride in their sheeting, so skilled where they that the sheets look like they had been ironed on.
I still think the sweet spot of going in via the back flaps is your best bet (that’s what she said) and not that much poetic licence is needed.
Anyway best of luck and let us know when the books finished.
I can’t speak for this sites admin team but as I’m always one dodgy knob gag from premod mentioning trucknet in the credits would go down well.
Thank you very, very much, that’s so helpful. So, taking inspiration from your ■■■■■■ thriller (thanks for that, by the way, because I never considered the musty smell of the sheet – it’s great being able to put in these little details), would my best bet be going for something along the lines of (as you wrote): ‘he notices some loose ropes at the back and a small piece of tarpaulin rippling in the lite breeze’?
And as for crediting – I wouldn’t dream of not crediting you all!!!
Reef:
Just to throw something else into the mix, you could always go for a pallet box/locker, you can have them on a reefer a curtainsider or even a flatbed if you like
Oooh, that’s an interesting angle. But would you able to crawl in and close it from the inside?
I reckon so yeah, you couldn’t lock it but you could hold it closed especially the bottom type of the two images shown.
Cavalier:
are you telling me that it is totally unimaginable that a roped and sheeted trailer could be used for international work? That is to say, although technology in my book is set at the early 80s level, it is an alternative universe, so it doesn’t have to follow real life exactly – but would it be totally impractical to use a roped and sheeted trailer for international work?
Not unimaginable ( open TIR ).But it’s more unlikely that anyone could find a way of stowing away among a sheeted load on a flat trailer as opposed to in a tilt or box.
As for roping and sheeting here’s around 90 pages to check out.
Cavalier:
Oooh, that’s an interesting angle.
You’d not be the first lady to say that to me… Just sayin’ 
Cavalier:
But would you able to crawl in and close it from the inside?
Gotta admit that is a new one on me though… 
For me that would work, ropes can come lose and slacken, the back end has the potential to be the most accesible.
Front end would be to tight and sides risk load disruption, squeezing in through the rear end is my preferred visualization.
Course we rarely all agree but back in the day spare sheets could be used with a rope or two to secure the back flaps. Should be possible to squeeze under then relocate the sheets with a tug or two.
Damp musky, weird smells where the norm on old sheet I believe, even with a waterproof fly sheet on top moisture would creep in.
Carryfast:
Not unimaginable ( open TIR ).But it’s more unlikely that anyone could find a way of stowing away among a sheeted load on a flat trailer as opposed to in a tilt or box.As for roping and sheeting here’s around 90 pages to check out.
Thanks for the link – If Dipper_Dave thinks it’s possible, that’ll be good enough for me, because it would be much more difficult for my lad to get into a tilt that’s being loaded – I’d have to rewrite the whole thing, which isn’t a problem as such, but it would change the flow of the story, and I’d managed to cover a lot of important emotional issues during the escape that I’ve written, which would be difficult to recreate under different circumstances in a rewrite.
Reef:
You’d not be the first lady to say that to me… Just sayin’
Dipper_Dave:
Damp musky, weird smells where the norm on old sheet I believe, even with a waterproof fly sheet on top moisture would creep in.
Thank you, that’s fantastic.
Now that I’ve had everyone’s very helpful answers (thank you again), I’ve settled on the roped and sheeted flatbed trailer, and I’m able to continue with my writing, I hope no one minds if I edit my second post to remove the context of my book – the thing is, I’m writing it with my sister, and she’s very particular about what I tell people about the plot. Even though it’s just the very vague gist, if she knew I’d left this up here as a permanent record, she’d skin me alive! 
Carryfast:
Cavalier:
are you telling me that it is totally unimaginable that a roped and sheeted trailer could be used for international work? That is to say, although technology in my book is set at the early 80s level, it is an alternative universe, so it doesn’t have to follow real life exactly – but would it be totally impractical to use a roped and sheeted trailer for international work?Not unimaginable ( open TIR ).But it’s more unlikely that anyone could find a way of stowing away among a sheeted load on a flat trailer as opposed to in a tilt or box.
As for roping and sheeting here’s around 90 pages to check out.
You could stowaway quite easily on this load which could easily be on an international journey.
cav551:
You could stowaway quite easily on this load which could easily be on an international journey.
Blimey there’s a ready made tent at the front .It’s going to attract lots of security attention though. 
I don’t think it is beyond unusual that rope and sheet would be used to go continental. I think Denby did it.
Also, consider this important point - the use of tilts in the 70s- 90s was based on a developed Europe as we know - post war.
Bare in mind rope and sheeting was the actual main method in war time Europe, so it’s not hard to believe that an under developed Europe in an alternate history wouldn’t have developed transport in the same prosperous way. Look at East Germany. That was really under developed, right old banger vehicles from the stone age. So I think in fact a sheety and ropey load would be MORE appropriate and also lend itself to your premis very neatly.
I’m sold in it by the lads as you can tell. Que Carryfast to come along and give me us history lesson on politics about East Germany. I also don’t buy it’s impossible to stow away on rope and sheet. Only some loads are that tightly packed, a lot were boxes with big gaps in down the middle, loads of different heights. There were gaps inside even on the neatest of sheets. As Dipper said you could go in from the rear (ooo er) sheet
You can still get that Corgi rope and sheeted lorry
Carryfast:
cav551:
You could stowaway quite easily on this load which could easily be on an international journey.Blimey there’s a ready made tent at the front
I’ll still save it straight to my collection of images for inspiration!
James the cat:
I don’t think it is beyond unusual that rope and sheet would be used to go continental. I think Denby did it.Also, consider this important point - the use of tilts in the 70s- 90s was based on a developed Europe as we know - post war.
Bare in mind rope and sheeting was the actual main method in war time Europe, so it’s not hard to believe that an under developed Europe in an alternate history wouldn’t have developed transport in the same prosperous way. Look at East Germany. That was really under developed, right old banger vehicles from the stone age. So I think in fact a sheety and ropey load would be MORE appropriate and also lend itself to your premis very neatly.
I’m sold in it by the lads as you can tell. Que Carryfast to come along and give me us history lesson on politics about East Germany. I also don’t buy it’s impossible to stow away on rope and sheet. Only some loads are that tightly packed, a lot were boxes with big gaps in down the middle, loads of different heights. There were gaps inside even on the neatest of sheets. As Dipper said you could go in from the rear (ooo er) sheet
You can still get that Corgi rope and sheeted lorry
Thank you very much, it’s every writer’s most important aim for their work to be believable to the experts. And I can indeed get my Corgi lorry!!
Thanks so much, everyone, you’ve been so kind and helpful and thorough. I could never have written this bit without you all!!
Cavalier:
Dipper_Dave:
I could be speaking out of turn as I’m not as old as some of the buggers on here posting from their care home but it would not be that unusual I would think to have a rope and sheeted load in the 80’s travelling international.One things for sure the old hands took a great deal of pride in their sheeting, so skilled where they that the sheets look like they had been ironed on.
I still think the sweet spot of going in via the back flaps is your best bet (that’s what she said) and not that much poetic licence is needed.
Anyway best of luck and let us know when the books finished.
I can’t speak for this sites admin team but as I’m always one dodgy knob gag from premod mentioning trucknet in the credits would go down well.
Thank you very, very much, that’s so helpful. So, taking inspiration from your ■■■■■■ thriller (thanks for that, by the way, because I never considered the musty smell of the sheet – it’s great being able to put in these little details), would my best bet be going for something along the lines of (as you wrote): ‘he notices some loose ropes at the back and a small piece of tarpaulin rippling in the lite breeze’?
And as for crediting – I wouldn’t dream of not crediting you all!!!
It’s not 1980s but 1930s America in the dust bowl, but for inspiration on describing lorries and setting the atmospher surrounding them, check out the opening scene of book The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Really good.
With trucks, the big descriptive things having worked around them are -
- diesel and oil fumes, canvas mustiness Dipper mentioned
- oil grease and grime on surfaces, splintered wooden trailer bed, hard cold steel trailer frame
- rumbling exhaust note
- hissing air brakes and hissing of the splitter gear box and range changer
They’re tactile, noisy almost visceral things - they make a good thing to describe in setting a scene with details.